Israeli Patriotism and Stereotypes

Being an Israeli

Life in Israel, now, is quite different from forty to fifty years ago, but in some ways, it still remains the same. A young girl, in the early 1940s, grows up learning to love her country and be faithful to her country because she is told Israel is special; it is the kingdom to her people; the Jews. Regardless of all the other religions, Israel is considered a Jewish state, therefore everyone that resides there must adhere to the rules favoring Jewish culture. My Savta (grandma) tells me that in Israel, there is no form of transportation such as buses or trains on the Jewish Sabbath and the majority of stores are closed. Now, this may fall in accordance with those who practice Judaism strictly, but for those who do not or are not Jewish, it seems quite unfair to implement this rule. Even though Judaism is a religion, it is also somewhat like a ethnicity in which a culture has evoked around it and when someone says they are Jewish, one instantaneously think of Israel. Vice versa, if someone says they are from Israel, one automatically assumes they are Jewish.

I am not an Israeli citizen, however I was curious to find out what being an Israeli citizen really meant and learning more about the strong sense of patriotism that Israelis have. When interviewing my Savta, she offered me a very real portrayal of what being an Israeli citizen entailed back when she was growing up in Israel. She described to me how Israelis had this mentality that they had to serve their country and do everything they could to make sure Israel was a successful country. Everything that was done for the country’s gain. When she wanted to leave Israel and go to the United States to live with my Saba (grandpa), she was confronted by her father and told that he would disown her if she left, because she was not supposed to abandon her country that the Jewish people spent so many years trying to build. She left and her father eventually got past his anger, but she told me about how, even though he had forgiven her, he still held some resentment towards her decision. This was exhibited when he left a great deal of inheritance to her brother’s children but none to her own. Leaving Israel was taboo at that time, and often, Israelis thought that their country was superior to other countries so leaving was just silly. However, my Saba and Savta felt the desire to discover new land and explore beyond the confining boundaries of Israel. They wanted more opportunities, which they ultimately found in the United States.

Today, it is quite obvious that this strong sense of patriotism still exists today amongst Jewish Israelis. I did not grow up in Israel, but growing up, I was taught to love Israel and learned about all the conflicts in Israel from Israel's perspective. Israeli citizens take a lot of pride in their country and the struggles that their ancestors went through to create a Jewish state. They relish in the fact that there is a homeland for the Jews. Although, it seems that most of the patriotism stems from Jews. I wondered how non-Jewish citizens felt about Israel. While eighty six percent of Israeli Jews are proud to be Israeli and this number appears to be growing, the number of Arabs that were proud to be Israeli is also a majority (about sixty five percent). Despite what people may think, Arabs feel a part of the state and most enjoy living in Israel. This was surprising to me because from when I was a child, I was taught that Arabs hated Israel and hated living there.
There are also a great deal of stereotypes that people assume about Israelis. I remember talking to one of my close friends and being shocked when he assumed that just because I was Israeli, I was Jewish. He thought that everyone in Israel was Jewish because that is what the culture imposes. However, all religions exist in Israel as well as many different people with unique backgrounds. While the majority (seventy five percent) are Jewish people, the remaining twenty five percent are made up of mostly Muslims as well as some other religions. I am an Israeli Jew but being Jewish should not have anything to do with my ethnicity. Ethnicity and religion are separate pretty much everywhere else in the world, except Israel. People also assume that, because I am Israeli, I hate all Arabs. This is not true. The Israeli- Arab conflict is something that has been going on ever since Israel was established, but I do not hold anything personal against Arabs. I know that both sides, the Israelis and the Arabs,  are at fault in different ways but that this should not have a bearing on how humans treat other humans. Regardless of religion or ethnicity, I believe that everyone should treat each other with human decency and compassion. People should not be categorized by the stereotypes that their cultures evoke, because stereotypes are the result of ignorance. People do not know enough about a culture to really understand what is going on there so they believe what others tell them. While there may be some truth to stereotypes, they offer a false depiction of reality in the long scheme of things.

Below is a link to the audio interview that I conducted with my Savta. It is a little long, but offers a very valuable insight into what growing up in Israel was like from the 40s until the 60s.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS6jrHckxtQ&t=42s

I also have some photos of my Savta as she was growing up to her time in the army.

A little bit about me: Hi! I’m Julia Forman, and I’m currently a freshman here at Rutgers University. I’m currently studying biology and hope to pursue something in the medical field when I graduate. For my project, I wanted to interview my grandma and learn more about her life in Israel. In doing so, I have learned so much about my grandma that I would not have known without this project.
Works Cited
"Patriotism Survey: 88% Proud to Be Israeli." Ynetnews. Ynetnews, 29 Jan. 2009. Web. 18 Dec. 2016.